Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an application jig and a method of manufacturing a honeycomb structured body.
Discussion of the Background
In exhaust gases discharged from internal combustion engines of vehicles (e.g., buses, trucks, passenger cars) and construction machines, particulate matters (hereinafter, also referred to as PMs) are contained. In recent years, these PMs have raised serious problems as contaminants harmful to the environment and the human body.
To solve the problem, various filters including a honeycomb structured body made of porous ceramic have been proposed as filters for collecting PMs in exhaust gases to purify the exhaust gases.
The honeycomb structured body used includes a pillar-shaped ceramic block with a peripheral sealing material layer formed around the ceramic block.
The peripheral sealing material layer is provided for the purposes of adjusting the shape of the honeycomb structured body placed in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine, preventing leakage of exhaust gases from the peripheral portion of the honeycomb structured body, and enhancing the heat insulating property of the honeycomb structured body.
WO 2005/045210 discloses a method for forming a thin peripheral sealing material layer around a ceramic block, in which a ring-shaped scraper (application jig) sliding along the peripheral surface of a ceramic block is used.
According to the method disclosed in WO 2005/045210, a scraping step is performed in which a paste-like sealing material (sealing material paste) is put on the peripheral surface of a ceramic block and the ceramic block is passed through the ring-shaped scraper in a longitudinal direction so that the sealing material paste is spread over the entire peripheral surface of the ceramic block.